1.86 core2 Mini as a HTPC

I'm looking to ditch my atv3 and get a HTPC to get more content on my TV after cutting cable. Someone local on craigslist has a older mini 1.86 ghz for $100. Would this be a good PC for watcing some HD content considering its the same price as some media boxes?

I would really avoid using anything older than a 2009 mini. From my experience with a 2.0ghz 2007 mini, you'll encounter stuttering that worsens as a video comes back, genuine overheating issues if you are driving a large hi-res screen, the machine may overheat if you're trying to encode video as well.

If it goes to sleep during a video because you take a break, expect massive jittering issues with video afterwards.

The specs on this machine would be barely suitable for HTPC purposes in my opinion. You can do 720p and below video content fine but anything above that would cause stuttering.

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This simply is not true. The ability to play HD content is more a function of the bit rate of the video, what the audio codec is, and which software you're using. I just retired this very same model of the Mini that played lots of Blu-ray rips that had been transcoded to 1080p h.254 video and AC3 Dolby Digital using Handbrake without any hiccups using Plex. The issue will be if you want to use Plex Media Server to send the video to other devices, in which case the C2D can have transcoding issues, particularly if the 1080p content has HD audio that needs extracted and sent to those devices as AAC.

This simply is not true. The ability to play HD content is more a function of the bit rate of the video, what the audio codec is, and which software you're using. I just retired this very same model of the Mini that played lots of Blu-ray rips that had been transcoded to 1080p h.254 video and AC3 Dolby Digital using Handbrake without any hiccups using Plex. The issue will be if you want to use Plex Media Server to send the video to other devices, in which case the C2D can have transcoding issues, particularly if the 1080p content has HD audio that needs extracted and sent to those devices as AAC.

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Absolutely. The C2D can handle playing decent files very well. Use to play 1080i TV video over my network with the 1.86 model.

Well now you're getting into how you define HD. Anything above 720p is what it is. I would argue that there is a minimum bitrate that should be met as well. Sure, you can probably probably play low-bit rate content but that would look like garbage. The user says he wants something suitable for a HTPC...HOME THEATER implies he will be using a large display device, not a desktop computer monitor where the reduced quality will not be noticed.

This simply is not true. The ability to play HD content is more a function of the bit rate of the video, what the audio codec is, and which software you're using. I just retired this very same model of the Mini that played lots of Blu-ray rips that had been transcoded to 1080p h.254 video and AC3 Dolby Digital using Handbrake without any hiccups using Plex. The issue will be if you want to use Plex Media Server to send the video to other devices, in which case the C2D can have transcoding issues, particularly if the 1080p content has HD audio that needs extracted and sent to those devices as AAC.

Sidefx - There's obviously Slingbox and Roku if you want to get into something general. I personally like Slingbox for streaming 1080p... I know there was another media server that did all of that and more, try googling Assassin HTPC. I've read some of their blogs and they seem to know what they're doing there and could help you out with something custom...

Well now you're getting into how you define HD. Anything above 720p is what it is. I would argue that there is a minimum bitrate that should be met as well.

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What is the minimum bit rate, in your opinion? The Core 2 Duo Mini can easily handle 10 Mb/s 1080p h.264 video decodes with Plex or XBMC (both of which use ffmpeg for decoding), but ask it to extract AC3 or DTS cores from HD audio and it will choke.

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Sure, you can probably probably play low-bit rate content but that would look like garbage. The user says he wants something suitable for a HTPC...HOME THEATER implies he will be using a large display device, not a desktop computer monitor where the reduced quality will not be noticed.

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Does a 1080p projector and 10 foot screen and Dolby Digital/DTS audio qualify as HOME THEATER?

If you're outputting to a hifi setup this may not be a problem, but you're only going to get 2 channel sound.

Maybe the port does TOSLINK (?) to get around this, but i have never seen anyone using it and this assumes your receiver does also.

Also, when working hard, it makes noise and its a bit borderline for playing high def content. It's also about 6 years old now and may not be reliable.

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LOL. Maybe you should have actually tried using your computer and learning about it. Although I'm sure Apple and its shareholders appreciates your extra purchases.

That said, I have relegated my 1.86 model to third computer in the house, with a 2.4 C2D and an i5 at the TVs, now. But that was more for Flash and gaming reasons for the kids. Simple video and AC3 it can handle, if that is the only intent. The biggest problem to me was the single video output, not what type. The dual output models are much more useful in a HT situation.

Try to find a 9400M Mini. That handles all. It can decode Blu Ray flawlessly, it can play all H264 high bitrate content. Mostly because the 9400M plays an important role in all the decoding, and keeps the fans running slow.

Try to find a 9400M Mini. That handles all. It can decode Blu Ray flawlessly, it can play all H264 high bitrate content. Mostly because the 9400M plays an important role in all the decoding, and keeps the fans running slow.

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It only uses the 9400m (and other compliant gpus) for decoding if the software uses VDAdecoder framework (such as Plex).

I own a 1.83ghz mini running 10.6 and while it does alright over wifi on the 22" monitor in my bedroom, it will choke with anything more. I am all about getting the most out of your gear. But on this one? You are kinda sol.

Until a few months ago I was using a 1.83 GHz CoreDuo Mini as my HTPC. I used a DVI-VGA cable to connect to my TV, and a mini TOSLINK cable to connect to my receiver. Even on this old machine the audio out is a combined headphone/optical port.

It ran the latest version of Plex, and could play 720p videos with 5.1 audio with no complaints. I upgraded to a Late 2012 Mini earlier this year so I could play 1080p. If your budget prevents you from getting a new Mac Mini, then this Core2Duo for $100 seems like a decent deal.

As for the cons, it could only run Snow Leopard (if yours is Core2Duo then I think it can run Lion), and it was painfully slow for anything other than watching movies.

I own a 1.83ghz mini running 10.6 and while it does alright over wifi on the 22" monitor in my bedroom, it will choke with anything more. I am all about getting the most out of your gear. But on this one? You are kinda sol.

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What do you mean by this? The OP is talking about using it as an HTPC, which the 1.86 C2D can do just fine.

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